They Maybes of Yesteryear
by Kamakaze Kheri
Summary: The only thing constant in the world is change.  But Summer has found the almost-constants that keep her connected to the earth along with gravity.


**I'm not really sure what this is.**

**Disclaimer: I watch it every summer away from home but I don't own it. Or any songs mentioned.**

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If there was one constant in the world that Summer Hathaway knew of, it was change. Change was inevitable. It was going to happen whether she liked it or not, and Summer most definitely did not like change. She liked order and precision and high quality and skyscraper tall standards. Summer operated on caffeine and protein bars because if she was going to stay up half the night re-arranging the band's set list than she wasn't going to get fat over it.

If there was something that was close to being constant in the world, it was the fact that Freddy Jones was forever changing. He was as unpredictable as a tornado, as savage as a hurricane and as friendly as the dog next door. Freddy didn't mind chaos and blurring lines and reaching far, far below Summer's skyscraper standards. When Freddy spends long nights with Summer he's always changing, from energy drinks and Snickers bars to a bottle of water and half a watermelon.

Summer will never figure him out.

Summer will never try.

They're at Zach's house, the crossing in-between, because Zach Mooneyham is another almost-constant in Summer's life; as dependable as your favourite blue jeans. He would listen to you, make valid points and always, _always, _say the right thing. Zach could deal with Summer's orderly files and precise notes and top-notch quality and somehow managed to climb the endless staircase to her skyscraper standards. Zach ran high on the energy of his friends and a box of cereal and that was about it.

"Freddy, we're not adding _Don't Trust Me_ to our set list. It doesn't even involve anything from the rest of the band besides Lawrence, Dewey and the back-up singers. Not even _you _will have a job to do."

The fourth of the maybe-someday-constants is the way they can communicate without really talking, because when Zach and Freddy exchange bemused glances Summer reads, _Too bad. It would have been fun to sing about hoes. _ And when Summer glares at Zach to back her up Freddy reads, _I can't believe how immature you guys are. _And when Freddy takes it upon himself to burn a hole in Summer's head with his eyes Zach reads, _We're just being _boys, _Summer. Give us a break._

"We can do Miss Murder instead. It's a classic and everyone knows it from Guitar Hero."

As the list grows longer the complexity grows too. Summer's fifth future-constant is that they will always be best friends. Summer with her perfection and Freddy with his whirlwind and Zach with his binding and it's not even a question that's worth answering. They're best friends and that's that.

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Freddy thinks he's got Summer figured down to the wire. How she ticks, how she thrives, how everything has to have a purpose in life and she will not rest until she uncovers the truth behind why God has given her a slab of bread for breakfast.

"Get real, Zach." Because Summer has a strict breakfast diet. Cottage cheese and fruit with half a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Take it or leave it." Because Zach's not really willing to crack open another cereal box. He needs those for when the three of them practically live the weekends together.

"_I'll _take it." Because Freddy could care less and it makes Summer mad.

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Zach knows Freddy better than anyone, maybe even Freddy himself. He knows he thinks Summer's okay, even for a girl and he knows that if you're only going to live once you may as well go out with a bang.

"You set those fireworks off right now you'll burn the place down." Summer. Ever practical.

"I used to have a passion for burning things." Freddy. Finally speaks some truth.

"Yeah. Like my homework." Zach. Always laughing.

These are the moments they live for because some things never change.

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Things change as they grow from the freshmen kids with _that killer band_ to the seniors that_ had that killer band. _

Summer had never added the band to her list of if-we-try-hard-enough constants because she knew it never would be. Change was omnipresent, always watching, always waiting.

But some things did not change.

Summer; the over-achiever, test acer, vocab so impressive no one knew what she was talking about. Book reader, homework finisher, best driver that drove everyone _everywhere. _Control freak, grapefruit hand sanitizer, manager of their lives, Summer.

Freddy; the havoc-wreaker, barely passing, uses the word 'dude' so often the girls feel like guys. Internet book report user, last twenty seconds before the bell homework finisher, redid his driver's test a record twelve times. Go-with-the-flow, porcupine hair, annoying sound that fills your ears _all the time_, Freddy.

Zach; the Krazy Glue, straight A student, holds a normal conversation with any kind of clique. Book skimmer, homework's always in on time, went back to do his driver's test because he was nervous about parallel parking. Grounder, guitar shredder, best joke of the night, Zach.

When Summer finally embraces the fact that change is the only constant she tears down the skyscraper standards and rewrites them to something Zach calls the garden standards. They grow with change and adapt to the world but always demand the same high quality as a concrete jungle.


End file.
